Lost The Northern Crater Edition
by UnamedFreak
Summary: Reno and Elena are lost in the snowlands. That can't be good. RenoElena. Rewrite of old fic
1. Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore

Disclaimer : I don't own The Turks and all the other characters

Disclaimer : I don't own The Turks and all the other characters. Squaresoft does.

Author's Notes : Rewritten. Hopefully it's better. While the basic plotline remains the same, I decided to change the characterization because I think that I didn't do them any justice the last time.

I extended the original battle scene so if you are not into that kind of thing, skip forward.

"I hate snow!"

Elena kicked the offensive white substance in front of her. She scowled when she felt some of it going down her shoes.

"I hate getting wet and cold!"

She tightened her jacket around her petite body and pushed her damp hair out of her face.

"And most of all...," she glared at the lanky red-haired man beside her, "I hate you!"

"Babe, relax. It's not like we are lost", Reno comforted her unconvincingly. He was not in the best mood to deal with Elena's tantrum. His only pack of cigarettes was wet from the blizzard earlier and icicles were literally forming at the tips of his spiky hair.

"Not lost?" Elena glared at Reno indignantly, "We have been wandering around this shit-hole for six hours! We are definitely freakin' lost!" she screamed.

Reno ignored her curses and pulled out a damp, crumpled map and started studying it intently. "Don't worry, Lena, I finally figured out where we are," he said in a definitive tone.

Elena was so visibly impressed at his efforts that she allowed a small smile. "Well, where are we then?" she said encouragingly.

"We're right there!" he pointed confidently at a spot on the map.

She stared at the spot marked by Reno's finger.

And she looked up at his smirking face, her smile disappearing slowly.

She shot another glimpse at the map, mouth gaping in disbelief.

"Reno, you dumbass!" she screamed at him, her face had now turn red with rage, "That's not the map of the Northern Crater! It's a map of Gongaga!"

"What? How did you know that?"

"It says right here on the label. 'Gongaga', freakin' Gongaga! Plus, you were holding it upside down. Did you think I was so retarded that you could get away with that?"

Reno flashed an irritating smirk at her.

"Don't answer that," Elena said, her shoulders slumped dejectedly. She was too drained to argue with him again. It was cold and her feet hurt from walking.

"I just happened to grab the wrong map when we were leaving," he shrugged nonchalantly, the fact that they were lost in the Northern Crater did not seem to faze him, "But I guarantee you, with my navigation skills, we'll get out of here in no time".

Elena groaned.

It was his 'navigational skills' that got them here in the first place.

Shinra had sent them to the Crater to investigate about reports of some strange monsters around the area. Reno had to land the helicopter in the middle of nowhere when the blizzard hit. When they tried to start it again, the engine sputtered weakly before dying off. It has apparently suffered more damage than anticipated. As both of them had no required skills to repair a helicopter (although Reno attempted to convince Elena otherwise), Elena suggested that they should walk to find the nearest shelter before contacting Rude.

"Look, give me the damn compass. I will try to navigate our asses out of here," Elena said exasperatedly, "Icicle Village is about west of the crater. If we find that village, we can somehow contact Rude and ask him to come get us."

Reno looked at her sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, give it!" Elena demanded.

"Oops."

Elena eyes narrowed at his expression.

"Please tell me you brought the compass."

"Well I forgot," he said in the most apologetic tone that he could muster. "But no matter, I will use my sun navigation skills to get us out of here."

"Sun… navigation?" Elena repeated after him slowly, as if trying to comprehend his words.

"Yeap, I saw it on the TV the other day. It's great and it works. Some dude used it to find his way back from the dessert."

He stared into the sky, which was fogged up. "But, I guess it doesn't work in the Northern Crater".

Elena made an inaudible noise under her breath.

Reno looked at her, "Hmm? What…?"

Before he could get the rest the words out, Elena had punched him square in his jaw. Reno staggered backwards in pain. He had forgotten how strong she was despite her size.

"OW! You bitch! What the hell was that for?"

"You son of a bitch! Thanks to you and your incompetence, we are going to die here!"

"Hey! It wasn't entirely my fault!" protested Reno.

"I let you take care of one thing, Reno. One thing! And even then you managed to screw up! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I don't comprehend nagging very well, Elena. If you'd stop bitching then I probably would've listened to you. But no, you had to go on and on about that stupid compass!"

Elena threw her hands in the air with defeat. She turned to him and screamed in frustration, "There are no words to explain how much I hate you right now!"

They were both now face to face, trying to glare down each other. Elena's cheeks were tinted red from frostbite and anger. Noticing that he was starting to wear her down, Reno smirked.

"Look, instead of throwing a hissy fit, why don't we just sit down and think about what to do next? Put our energies into good use," suggested Reno

"No," Elena answered simply.

"No?"

"No, I am not going to sit down here with you and listen to anymore of your stupid ideas," she said and crossed her arms huffily.

"What DO you want to do then, o' queen?" said Reno sarcastically. His patience was wearing thin.

Elena rolled her eyes at his sarcasm and turned to walk away from Reno.

She shuddered as she felt something cold slide down the back of her shirt. Reno had thrown a snowball at her. She steeled her resolve not to turn around and punch him again.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he shouted after her.

"Getting the hell away from you!" she countered.

Reno was startled by her answer for a moment before deciding to make a move to try to reason with her. Then he stopped short and decided that he wasn't going to deal with bitchy Elena today. He had tried to be nice and obviously, Elena was too PMS-y to notice that.

"Well, fine then! Fuck off!" he yelled after her and turned to start walking in the opposite direction.

Reno's curse reverberated around her as she walked further away. At that instant, she regretted her rash decision to separate from Reno. If she was stuck in the middle of nowhere with any other person besides him, she would have thought twice before making that move. Unfortunately, with Reno, everything she said and did was just purely out of instinct. He knew how to push her buttons (and not in a good way).

Even though it was a bad idea to go their separate ways in this alien land, she'd be damned if she was going to run after him like some damsel in distress.

Two hours after dragging her soggy shoes across the barren snow lands, Elena was tired, hungry and cold. There were no villages or shelters or even a monster in sight.

"Godamnit, Reno!" she cursed the absent red-head for getting her into her current predicament.

"Stupid Reno and his stupid brains," she muttered to herself.

When she finally noticed a rock in the distance, she almost cheered. Never in her life had she been so glad to see a plain, ol' boring rock, but after walking two hours in white powder, she would be happy to see anything that looked like _something_. She quickened her pace and reached the rock in five large strides. She noticed that she must be on a higher altitude due to her lack of breathe after the short burst of speed. She planted herself on the rough surface of the rock for a rest.

She opened her water bottle and proceeded to drain it to quench her thirst. She then added some snow (making sure it wasn't yellow) into the bottle to refill it. Studying her surroundings once again, she noticed that it had gotten considerably darker. She frowned as she recalled that the Northern Crater has 24 hour sunshine in July.

Plop.

She felt a large droplet of rain on her shoulder. She scowled; her day has just gotten fifty times better. Elena moved her hands to swipe the liquid out of her jacket and noted the strange consistency. It definitely did not feel like rain.

Plop.

She looked up when another droplet fell on her suit and it wasn't dark clouds she saw; it was a pair of shining red eyes and a huge, gaping mouth with droplets of drool hanging from it. Her first reaction was to stand up and put as much distance between her and the monster as possible.

"Ew," was her next reaction when she realized that she had monster drool all over her.

She studied her opponent with a practiced eye. This could be one of the strange monsters that the locals were complaining about and made a note to include it into her field report. It looked like a cross between a scorpion and a Stilva and its body was seven feet long. She estimated the tail to be about twice the length with a pointed end. There is a high chance that it had poison on the tips of the tail. Her Turk instincts kicked in and she started thinking about ways to strategically deal with the monster.

At the same time carefully observed the movements of the giant scorpion to ensure that she wasn't impaled by its tail. All of a sudden, the scorpion jerked its tail upwards slightly and before Elena could even blink, the pointed end was headed towards her. She leaped out of the way just in time as tail grazed her shoulder jacket and took off some cloth material.

She let out an audible sigh of relief when she realized that it missed her.

Elena glanced at her bracelet to quickly examine the materia equipped and grinned. Reno had done well equipping it. She heard another swishing sound and managed to avoid the tail again before it came crashing down.

_Let's see how you like fire, ugly piece of shit, _Elena thought with a smirk.

The green fire materia orb glowed as she activated her strongest fire spell. She directed the attack towards the scorpion and watched as it was engulfed by flame. She grinned triumphantly at her victory.

Her grin faded when the monster emitted a loud howl. It wasn't a dying howl, it had more of a pissed off vibe to it. When the monster emerged from the smoke unscathed, Elena cursed. It must be immune to magic.

_It's time for some good ol' physical action then Elena,_ she told herself.

She took off her thick outer jacket for easy access to her guns that were tucked comfortable in the holsters. In her mind, she was already formulating a fool-proof plan to get rid of the monster once and for all.

"One", she counted softly.

The blood roared in her ears and the adrenaline started to pump. She reached for her guns and released the safety. The monster seemed to sense her movement and starting making its way towards her, its tail swinging dangerously.

"Two."

She placed herself in a crouching position, her eye keeping in contact with the ruby red ones that were staring back. She had no room for error in the plan. It had to be perfect. The scorpion's tail started to make a movement.

"Three!"

The pointed end torpedoed into her direction as she rolled away.

She recovered quickly, got onto one knee and pulled out her guns in a well-practiced draw.

Pap! Pap!

She fired two shots, one from each semi-automatic, right into the monster's beady red eyes. It let out a great howl of pain when it felt its eyes blown out of their sockets.

_Now it's starting to get really pissed off_, Elena grinned to herself.

The movements of its tail becoming more and more erratic as it stabbed around for the target. Elena navigated her way out of the tail's reach and prepared herself for the next phase of her offensive. Holstering one gun, she tightened her grip on the other and walked slowly to the left, placing herself twenty yards away from the giant legs.

The monster had not noticed any of her movements as it continued to jab the ground in front of it aimlessly. This gave her plenty of time to choose the most strategic position for her plan.

Elena raised her gun and used the other hand to steady it at the butt. She lined herself up for her shot and took a deep breathe.

"Just like target practice," she muttered to herself, "Slow and steady."

Pap!

The first shot was a bulls-eye; she had hit its kneecap. Or at least that's what she called it, she was by no means a monster anatomy expert. She had guessed that the joint was a soft tissue and it seems that it was the right guess.

The next two shots were right on the mark as well. She knew she had hit the jackpot when the monster started to favour its right side as its left legs were completely incapacitated.

She dashed forwards and slid in between the legs to position herself under its body.

_Bingo! _As she had suspected, the underbelly of the monster was hidden underneath the tough husk on the outside. She reloaded her gun, drew the other and started pumping the monster's soft flesh full of bullets. It was no easy feat as the monster thrashed around and howled when each bullet pierced its skin.

She emptied both cartridges underneath the monster and rolled out to the right side. Reloading again, she planted a bullet in each of the soft tissue on the three legs. The .45 did its job as it ripped the monster's limbs apart. Now losing the mobility of all six limbs, the monster fell onto the ground with a great thud.

Approaching the monster cautiously, she shot it between the eyes until no more bullets came out. Bits of flesh and monster scalp sprayed onto her white shirt. The monster let out a final howl and went silent. Elena knew that victory was hers but she did let her guard down as she examined the monster.

It was at the very last minute that she noticed that while the monster had collapsed, its tail was still up in the air. With a slight twitch, the tail was ready to strike. In her examination, she had unknowingly stepped directly into the tail's target zone.

"Shit!" She cursed out loud and maneuvered to the side in an attempt to avoid getting impaled.

However, her reaction was a fraction too late. As the tail went pass her, she felt a searing pain on her left arm. Instinctively, she grabbed her wound. She could feel the blood already soaking through the fabric. Recognizing that it was not the time to cradle her wounds, she was trying to form exit strategies in her head. When one particular thought crossed her mind, she grinned.

_It's what Reno would do_.

She reached into her pouch that is straddling her hip and pulled out a hand grenade. Using her teeth to pull out the pin, she stuffed it into the monster's gaping mouth and took off as fast as she could. Within four seconds, there was loud boom and Elena was propelled forwards by the force of the explosion. She landed face first into snow and felt monster matter splatter all over her.

"Ugh," she muttered through a mouthful of snow. There is still ringing in her ears from the explosion but it was the least of her worries; the blood from her wound had pooled on the snow and it was the first time she noticed the real extent of injuries.

The adrenaline that was in her system previously was wearing out. Groggily, she attempted to apply as much pressure as she could onto the wound, but her body wasn't cooperating. The only signal her brain was sending seemed to be 'lie down and sleep'.

_Yeah, _her subconscious told her, _you did well. Sleep sounds pretty damn good. _

The last thing she heard were hasty footsteps and a familiar voice shouting profanities at her as her eyes fluttered close.

"Fuckin' hell Elena!"


	2. Houston, we have a problem

Disclaimers : None of this stuff belongs to me

Disclaimers : All Squaresoft.

* * *

Author's Notes: I hate 's formatting. I can't place my line breaks and spacing properly. I will appreciate any help that you can provide me.

Reno had heard the grenade explode from half a mile away, literally.

When the decision was made to go their separate ways, he wandered off by himself for a short period of time. He knew that once Elena is pissed off, the only way to deal with that is allow her some time to cool off. After deciding that one hour was ample time, he decided to make his way back to her. Reno is pretty good at tracking people and managed to find her tracks within moments.

He'd never expected the explosion and he definitely did not expect to arrive at the scene ten minutes later to find Elena face down in a bed of red snow. Reno stopped momentarily to examine the bits of charred flesh on the ground and whistled, Elena had done a number on that monster.

As soon as he saw her eyes fluttering close and he did the first thing that came to mind; he swore.

"Fuckin' hell Elena!"

Crouching down next to her, he felt her pulse and let an audible sigh of relief when he found it. Then, he started to examine her wounds; poking and prodding to try to find the source of her bleeding. It didn't take him long to do come across the giant gash on her arm that would need a fair amount of stitches to mend.

The only thing he could do to stop the bleeding and close the wound as much as he could is to cast a cure spell. The wound glowed green when Reno activated his restore materia. Elena was still unconscious at the end of the procedure. He concluded that the excessive blood loss probably caused her to pass out. The only thing left to do now is to wake her up…

…_without trying to piss her off_, he added to himself.

He slapped her cheeks gently, "Hey, 'Laney, wake up", using the nickname that she despised.

No reaction. Reno frowned.

This time he yelled a little louder and started to shake her, "'Laney, wake up!"

Still no reaction.

He pulled out his electro-mag rod, activated it and gave her a zap. That seemed to do the trick as her eyes flew wide open and she instinctively got up in her fighting stance. She stayed that way for about five seconds before her knees started to give in and she fell back onto the ground.

"You alright there, 'Laney?"

"Don't call me 'Laney," was her reply.

_The bitch is back_, Reno grinned to himself, offering her his hand which she took with her uninjured arm. He pulled her up using more force than he had intended and she crashed into his chest. Using his other hand to steady her, he had unknowingly locked her into an embrace.

"Well, this is awkward," Elena commented, her voice muffled against his chest.

"I swear I didn't plan this," Reno said wryly, still not moving his arms.

_In any other situation, with any other girl, this would probably be the stuff chick movies are made off_, he thought to himself.

And of course, Elena had to ruin it all by sucker-punching him.

Reno's grip on her immediately loosened as he grabbed his gut in pain.

"Ow, what the fuck?!" he yelled at her, wheezing slightly. Granted it wasn't it full-force-Elena punch, but it still hurt.

"You zapped me with your stupid mag rod," Elena smirked. Noticing his confounded look she added, "What? You think you'd get away with that little stunt?"

"I saved your life with that stunt!" Reno said defensively.

"…Which was why I didn't go all out on you!"

"Bitch," he muttered under his breath.

"Thank you for that though," Elena said softly and pulled him in an awkward one-armed hug. It was over before he could react. She smiled at his expression afterwards; her first genuine smile since they landed and Reno knew that they were good again.

Noticing that the sky was considerably darker, Reno suggested that they find shelter. Elena nodded in agreement without a smart-ass comment. They ignored the ominous landscape ahead of them and walked ahead to an unknown destination.

* * *

"Hey, can we stop for a second?" Elena asked him again for what seems to be the umpteenth time in the last hour. She bent over to try to catch her breath.

Reno, who was a few steps ahead, turned to her and sighed in exasperation. They were making very little progress to find shelter as they have not spotted anything that resembled a rock for the past hour. In fact, the visibility has gotten so bad that they could barely see twenty yards ahead.

He was frustrated, not at Elena, but at everything else around him.

"Don't get all huffy on me, Reno!" she said, apparently mistaking his frustration for impatience, "I got a whole chunk of flesh torn out of my arm, and I am bound to be tired and woozy at _some_ stage."

Without saying a word, he walked towards her and grabbed her injured arm for further examination. He must have done it rougher than intended because Elena gave a yelp of pain.

Although the wound had stopped bleeding, it was still open. The restore spell that he cast earlier had done little to help to mend it.

"We have to find somewhere to treat this," he said in a definitive tone and Elena suddenly felt her feet lifted off the ground.

He'd flung her over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

"I don't think this is the proper way to carry a lady," Elena muttered.

"What lady?" he answered with a grin that she couldn't see, "It's the easiest way to carry you. You know, you weigh a hell of a lot more than you look."

Elena's expression darkened when she heard his comment on her weight. No girl likes her weight being the subject to a joke.

"Fine. But if you grab my ass, I am going to shoot you in the face."

Reno knew she was not joking and he couldn't help but to wonder if Rude noticed that they had been gone for the day.

* * *

Rude stretched his limbs on the couch in the Turks' lounge. His latest 'mission' had been a pain. The guy was a chatterbox, yapping away at things that do not make sense, threatening bodily harm, throwing insults and curses into his face. Rude had jammed a fist into the guy's throat to save his own sanity. But other than the minor incident, the interrogation had gone well and Rude welcomed the silence in the lounge.

He sat up in a start.

_Silence in the lounge?_

Something was not right. He looked around, head turning rapidly from one side to the other.

_Where is Reno and Elena?_

He was accustomed to entering the lounge to hear bickering between the two Turks. Occasionally he had to avoid projectile cutlery or mugs or anything that Elena laid hands on.

Rude frowned. He knew that Reeve had sent the two Turks to investigate abnormal monster sightings in the Northern Crater but the job shouldn't take more than half a day to complete and Reno had arranged to meet up at the lounge before heading to the bar.

That was supposed to be an hour ago.

Reno _never_ missed their drinking appointments.

His fears were confirmed when Reeve rushed into the lounge.

"Are they back yet?" Reeve asked. His face was paler than usual.

"...No," Rude was always a man of little words, even in time of crisis.

Reeve explained that they had received a report about a blizzard in the Northern Crater that was timed fifteen minutes before Reno and Elena were supposed to land at their destination. Shinra had only just found out about the blizzard because communications in that area were down due to bad weather.

"Well, I suppose they should be fine. There are directions to the nearest shelter on the map that I gave them during their briefing," Reeve reasoned.

Without saying a word, Rude walked over to Reno's desk and ruffled through paper planes and crumpled paper to pull out a coffee stained map.

"This map?"

Reeve groaned.

"Rude, can you fly a helicopter?"

* * *

Squinting his eyes, Reno could make out a cave in the distance and he let out a whoop of delight, nearly dropping Elena in the process.

"What? What is it?" she asked him, her vision was obstructed by his back. She squirmed around for a better look to no avail.

"I think we found a cave."

"Is it far?"

"About fifteen yards," Reno estimated.

"Let me down," Elena commanded and he obliged. His arms were getting sore from lugging her around although he wasn't going to tell her that. He didn't want Elena pissed off again.

She dusted herself off the snow and took out her gun.

"We should probably check it for bears."

Reno let out a snort of laughter, "Bears?"

Elena glared at him and nodded gravely. She wasn't going to take any chances after that earlier incident with the monster; anything can happen in the snowlands.

* * *

There was a storm in Midgar that night, the rain beating down heavily on Reeve's bright yellow windbreaker as he made his way to the helipad. Rude walked stoically next to him, not fazed by the thunderstorm. Reeve wondered how he manages to see through the sunglasses that were ever present on his nose.

Shinra's chief engineer rushed forward to meet the two men when he saw them approach.

He had to yell to get his words across due to the howling wind, "Sir, the helicopter is ready for lift off but the storm is going to make it pretty rough!"

"How rough is pretty rough?" Reeve shouted back.

"Personally, Sir, I don't think I would want to be flying now. The control tower just reported that a thunderstorm is approaching. If lightning hits the god-bolt, you'd go down."

Reeve stopped his hasty walk to analyse their current situation. Losing the god-bolt, the bolt that holds the main rotor to the 'chop, would mean death. But Reno and Elena did not have enough rations, and if Rude did not get on the helicopter, they will probably starve or freeze, whichever comes first.

Hell, it was lose-lose no matter how he looked at it.

He looked over to scrutinize Rude's expression, hoping to find a solution but he found none. The Turk was staring impassively into the dark sky. Reeve knew that Rude would jump on the helicopter if he told him to; no lightning would stop Rude from saving his team mates.

But. Rude was a Turk and Turks follow orders.

"Chief, shut off the engines! We will go first thing when the storm clears up," Reeve ordered. The engineer nodded and passed on the instructions to his workers.

Reeve placed a hand on Rude's shoulder; a gesture to reassure the Turk, "They will be fine."

Rude nodded and turned walk back to the office.

He needed a drink, bad.


	3. As time goes by

Disclaimers : All Squaresoft. None mine.

Author's notes : Still hate the formatting. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

"The coast is clear!" Elena announced to a grinning Reno.

"What? No bears?"

She chose not to dignify him with an answer and continued examination of her surroundings with her torchlight. The cave was larger than what she'd predicted but it provided shelter from the blizzard that was developing outside. It was bare and dry, not a drop of fresh water in sight.

"Shit!" cursed Reno and then there was total silence.

Elena quickly drew out her gun from the holster and aimed it at the direction of his voice. Using her other arm, she shined the light to where Reno was standing.

"Whoa," he exclaimed when he noticed that he was staring straight into the barrel of Elena's semi-automatic, "It's just me".

"Jesus, Reno. Stop scaring me like that!" she scolded. Now that she knew it was safe, she pushed the safety back on her gun and placed it back into the holster.

"Why were you shrieking like a little girl just now?" She asked him in a mocking tone.

He glared at her, "I tripped on a stick or something."

"A stick? In the cave?" she looked at him disbelievingly.

Directing her light to where Reno was currently standing, she now had a clear look of the 'stick'.

"Reno, that's no stick."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow at her and bent over to pick up the object. After closer inspection, it finally registered in his mind that yes, Elena was right and that was _definitely_ not a stick.

It was a femur and judging by the remains that were behind him, it is definitely from a human.

"Dude, you tripped on a dead guy," said Elena with the straightest face that she could muster, given the circumstance.

* * *

Rude now understands why Elena throws a hissy fit when he and Reno do not report back on time (Reno always insists on getting drinks _straight_ after a mission).

"Does it kill you to show your face for two seconds before you go off boozing?" she'd always say. Reno would answer yes, it would and Elena would storm off. It's a vicious cycle.

Rude thinks they argue because of the unresolved sexual tension and Reno thinks it's because Elena is an insufferable bitch. Sometimes Rude wished for peace and quiet in the office, but most times he will watch the two Turks go at it with the tiniest smile on his face because the noise reminded him that the Turks were alive and _together_.

He had been sitting in the Turks' lounge for the past two hours nursing a cup of cold coffee, waiting for the weather to clear up. Reeve was kind enough to stop around every fifteen minutes to keep him updated on the current situation. He informed Rude that he'd arranged for a crew of engineers and medics to be on standby for take off.

Reeve is a great leader, despite his harmless appearance. After the whole Meteor incident, he single-handedly rebuilt Shinra to a more legitimate operation and Rude has the utmost respect for him.

Since Tseng died, each Turk had took turns to lead but they found they have their fatal flaws; Rude was too silent, Elena too inexperienced and Reno too unpredictable. Then, one night at a bar, Reno drunkenly suggested that they should just let Reeve be their leader since he was already their boss. So, that's the story of how Reeve came to be the leader of the Turks.

Rude's respect for Reeve grew tenfold tonight because in many aspects, he has the same ideals as Tseng had; Reeve does whatever it takes to save his people.

As if on clockwork, fifteen minutes later, Reeve came in to the lounge and explained that he storm was relentless, it is apparently the worst one that Midgar has seen in years.

There will be no flying tonight.

Rude frowned and took a sip of cold coffee.

_It never rains but it pours._

* * *

As it turns out, the remains were from a person by the name of 'J. Smith'. Reno had found a tattered book with the name printed on it. From the condition of the bones, they had both concluded that the body had been in the cave for a long time.

"Do you think we are being slightly disrespectful?" Elena wondered as they rummaged through Smith's things.

"Better him than us."

Apparently, the term 'respect the dead' did not exist in his vocabulary.

Half an hour later, the two of them were sitting in front of the fire that was started using Elena's fire materia and Smith's belongings (which included some books, clothing, and a walking stick). He or she had packed for a long hike but must have succumbed to the extreme conditions of the crater or to one of the many monsters roaming around. Smith had an insulated dome tent which Reno had erected for them to spend the night in.

"Well, we should at least give the poor soul a decent burial," she suggested guiltily, placing her hands in front of the fire for warmth.

Reno shrugged and tossed a piece of tattered clothing to fuel the fire. It is going to be a mission to keep the fire going all night with their scarce resources. On Elena's insistence, they had set camp as far away as possible from the skeletal remains.

"How is your arm?" Reno asked from his spot opposite of her. His pale face looked ghostly in the firelight.

She squinted against the fire for a closer look, the wound had stopped bleeding but it was still stinging occasionally.

"I think it should be fine but I will wrap it up just in case," she said and reached for the first aid pouch that she had brought with her on the mission. It is equipped with basic first aid supplies such as bandages and antiseptic cream.

"I'll help you to get the bandages on," Reno offered.

"Thanks," she muttered back.

It is well known in Shinra that Reno is an expert at first aid. Growing up in the slums, he couldn't afford going to the doctors' so he had resolved to treat himself. When he joined the Turks, it had become an invaluable skill to have; off and on the battlefield.

Elena found her eyes drawn to the movements of his hands it moved deftly to wrap bandages around her arm.

"Reno, do you by any chance play the piano?" she blurted out. His fingers looked freakishly slender and long and made hers look stubby in comparison.

He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, "What? No. Are you starting to hallucinate?"

She shook her head fervently. He frowned and went back to work on the bandages. When he had finished, he stood back to admire his handiwork.

_I am pretty damn good, _he smirked. Elena however, didn't seem to have as much appreciation as he did on his work, she continued scratching and poking the wounded area.

"Hey, stop poking it! You'll ruin the bandages. That's all we've got!" he reprimanded her sternly.

"It's itching. I am just trying to get comfortable," she explained.

He was about to give a lecture on infections when a loud growl interrupted his train of thought. Elena sat up in a start, her hands automatically going for the gun in her holster.

"Was that a bear?"

"What _is _with you and bears?" he asked her with an amused grin on his face.

She glared at him and opened her mouth to make a comeback, but another growl stopped her from doing so. This time, she drew her gun out in preparation.

"I think it's coming from your direction." she suggested.

"Yes, it is from my direction. It's actually from me," said Reno. He still had that annoying know-it-all grin in his face.

"Huh?" was the most eloquent reply she had.

"I am starving," he shrugged, as if it is the most obvious answer in the world.

It took every ounce of control in Elena's body to stop her from knocking that infuriating grin out of his face.

* * *

"Rude, I have bad news from the control tower. There are no signs of the storm easing tonight. The only chance we have to wait for the next update at dawn," Reeve said to Rude, who had been silent since they returned from the helipad.

It was now past midnight in Midgar. Elena and Reno were due to return from their mission six hours ago. The latest update that Reeve received from the weather station in the Northern Crater were not promising; a blizzard in the area had reduced visibility by eighty percent and dropped the temperature thirty degrees below zero.

An hour earlier, Reeve had sat down in a brainstorming session with his team of scientists, engineers and employees who were avid hikers to discuss survival probability. The diagnosis was not encouraging; without shelter, the two Turks would probably be dead or suffering serious hypothermia and with shelter, they would probably survive a couple of days on their current rations.

"Dawn," Rude muttered.

Reeve stared at him in surprise.

"We will take off at first light even if there is a hurricane," Rude gave him a steely, determined gaze which means that he will not take no for an answer. Reeve nodded weakly in agreement; they would have to risk the life of one Turk in an attempt to save two.

* * *

Elena handed him a partially eaten energy bar, "Here."

He eyed her suspiciously. When Elena found out that he did not bring his own emergency rations, she gave him an earful and told him he could starve to death for all she cared. So, when she offered him her food, he couldn't help but to wonder what her ulterior motives are.

_Did she spit in it?_

She appeared to have read his mind and offered him an explanation. "You saved my life, so you get extra food," she said nonchalantly.

He grinned. "So your life is worth an energy bar?"

She rolled her eyes and waved the bar in his face, "Take it or leave it."

He took it.

"Are you sure you had enough?" he asked when he noticed that she had only taken a few bites. She nodded and turned her gaze back to the fire.

He finished the bar in two large bites. Although it was a small bar, he knows that it is enough for the night.

The energy bars were used by soldiers back when Sephiroth was a general as it contained all the dietary requirements for an active adult, lightweight and easy to consume. After Meteor, Reeve saw the benefits of these bars and continued manufacturing them. He sends them to improvished parts of the world. Shinra personnel used them as emergency rations.

"Thanks for that," he said appreciatively.

"Don't mention it," she replied. A moment of silence passed before he noticed that she was grinning.

"What's so funny?"

"Did it taste good?" she asked cryptically.

Reno continued staring at her with a confounded expression and then a thought hit him.

_She did do something to that bar. That bitch!_

"What did you do to my dinner!?"

Elena giggled. "Actually, I didn't do anything. I just wanted to see the look on your face when you think I did."

"Bitch, I should have just left you dead back then," Reno said gruffly, hitting her head lightly with his mag rod.

She nudged his shoulder with her own and apologised. "I am just trying to lighten up the bleak atmosphere."

Reno grunted in reply and poked the fire with his rod. He estimated that it was probably going to die out in a couple of hours as they had run out of material to keep it burning. A few minutes passed and Reno felt a weight on his left shoulder; Elena had rested her head on his shoulder out of exhaustion.

"Did you know that we have managed to go though five minutes without annoying each other?" Reno said absently.

"Mm hm," was her reply. She adjusted her head to get more comfortable on his shoulders; Reno was a lot bonier than he looked. He made no move to discourage her from squirming around.

Grinning cheekily to himself he couldn't resist adding, "Elena, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful…"

Elena interrupted him before he could finish.

"Don't ruin the moment, Reno."

_It is going to be a long night._


	4. If we were a movie

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's notes: Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

As Reno had predicted, the fire had gone out within two hours. Elena had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulders sometime during that period. With fire gone, it meant that they had to move into the tent that they have erected earlier for the night.

He poked Elena gently but received no response. From their previous missions, he knows that she is a heavy sleeper; a poke will not wake her up. He jerked his arm up as hard as he could and Elena toppled sideways onto the ground. Her eyes shot wide open as she hit the ground.

"Ouch," she muttered.

Suddenly realising where she was lying, she stood up and brushed off the dirt from her clothes. She was now fully awake and did not look happy at all, Reno noted.

Hands on her hips, she asked in a stern voice, "Reno, what's going on?"

"Fire's out. We are moving into the tent," he said, kicking dirt over the embers to smother it.

Elena made a face, "You mean the dead guy's tent?"

Reno shrugged, to him, a tent is a tent. "It's fine if you don't want to. Just means that there is more room for me. You can stay out here and freeze."

Running out of comebacks, she sulked and made her way into the tent. It was cosy and warm but had a slightly musty smell due to age. She had to agree with him though, without a fire and the tent, they would have suffered from severe hypothermia by now. Resting her head on the canvas ground, she turned to her side and tried to sleep while Reno was cleaning up outside.

She ignored the sound Reno's heavy footsteps as he entered the tent and settled his body down on the ground for a well-need rest. However, when she felt his arms encircling her waist, alarms went off in her head and she pushed him away roughly.

"Reno, what the hell?" she exclaimed.

He seemed taken aback by her outburst. "Um, isn't it what they do in movies for extra body heat?" he said sheepishly.

"I'm doing fine with my own body heat, thank you very much! It's actually pretty warm in here" she snapped, "What kind of movies have you been watching anyway?"

He wriggled his eyebrows at her and she groaned in disgust; she knew perfectly well what sort of _movies_ he is into. "You are such a perv, Reno."

His only reply was a mischievous grin, the whites of his teeth had an eerie glow in the darkness of the tent.

"You sleep in your corner," she pointed to a section a couple feet away from her corner. Reno moved grudgingly.

Then, using the butt of her gun, she indicated an invisible line separating their respective sleeping areas. "And, if I find you crossing this line, I will make sure you will never have the chance to celebrate Father's day", she warned him.

That comment wiped out the grin from his face almost instantaneously. "Jeez, most women would kill to be in a situation like this with me," he complained.

"I refuse to be that woman," she stated matter-of-factly, "I refuse to be a freakin' cliché."

"In case you haven't noticed this is pretty much as clichéd as it gets," Reno gestured around him for emphasis, "Boy and girl stuck in a dark cave sheltering from the storm sharing a one person tent. The only thing missing from the equation is boy and girl making out."

There was silence as Elena let his words sink in.

"Line. Cross. You die," she stressed and pointed out the non-existent line between the two of them.

Reno mock-saluted her and turned so that his back faced her.

"'Night, Elena."

She grunted in reply.

* * *

"I got the chopper prepared for take off in two hours," Reeve informed Rude. It is three in the morning and Rude had not left the lounge, his coffee remained untouched.

If Rude was worried about his team mates, Reeve thought he had done a brilliant job at hiding it since his expression had remained impassive during the whole ordeal.

In the Turks, Rude was _expected _to be calm and collected at all times, especially at moments like this, when the life of two-thirds of his team is hanging by the thread. Behind the shades, his tired eyes were bloodshot. But Reeve doesn't have to know that.

Rude knows that he can't afford emotions at this stage; he has to think with his head not his feelings.

_Think like a Turk_.

* * *

Sleep escaped Reno that night. He drifted in and out of a semi-conscious state, never fully asleep. Elena, on the other hand was dead asleep.

Contrary to what most Shinra employees may think, Elena did not act like a rich, spoilt brat when on field missions. She is capable of sleeping anywhere on the land when the situation permits. This is one of those times.

Reno got up to stretch his stiff muscles and walked out to the entrance of the cave to assess the current weather conditions. The cold blast hit him in the face the moment he stuck his head out of the cave. It was pitch black outside; the blizzard they encountered in the afternoon had gotten worst.

He withdrew his head into the comfort of the cave and walked back into the tent that he shared with Elena. Reno crossed the invisible line that Elena drew earlier to check on her. He snickered to himself when he heard her soft snores and reminded himself to tease her about that later.

"Mm guh."

Reno stiffened in his tracks when he heard her unintelligible mumblings; the threat that she threw at him earlier rang in his head. When she shifted slightly and continued snoring, he let out a sigh of relief. His eyes rested on her features and he was taken aback at what he saw.

Late into the night in the bars, guys will talk about watching their girls sleep and how it would be the most wonderful sight. Granted, most of these guys were drunk as skunks but they amused Reno and Rude so they listened to the ramblings as a source of entertainment.

Looking at Elena, he realised the she was in a whole different league.

"Stop staring at me you perv'," Elena mumbled, breaking him out of his reverie. He pushed his face closer to hers to ensure that she was still asleep.

She must've sensed his face looming above hers because her eyes fluttered open in an instant. Reno jumped back and was ready to make a run for it; in case she decided to reach for her gun. But she merely stood up and stretched.

Elena rubbed her eyes and glared at him, "What sort of sick stunt were you trying to pull?"

He smirked and leaned back against the wall of the tent. "Nothin'."

"Stop lying, Reno. I saw you looking at me. 'Fess up."

Another glare.

"Fine," sighed Reno in defeat, "I was watching you sleep."

She cocked an eyebrow at him, "That sounds really creepy on so many levels," she retorted.

"You know, I have watched lots of girls sleep before…"

Elena interrupted him before he could finish his sentence, "Oh have you? I thought you just bailed out immediately when you have the chance to."

"Hey!" he protested, "Anyway, my point is, I have watched girls sleep before and not to blow my own horn, but they all looked pretty damn hot."

She tapped her feet impatience; Reno had the habit to go off tangent in conversations involving his conquests. "Your point is?"

"They are hot. But you are in an entirely different league."

"Um. Thanks…I guess?" she said hesitantly.

"Entirely different league of ugly, I mean," Reno corrected himself and flashed the most obnoxious grin that she'd ever seen.

"Eh?" Elena was loss for words. While his comment was completely unexpected, it was not out of his character either.

Reno burst out in laughter. "I hear about all these stories about chicks looking like angels when they sleep. I've seen a few myself, and then I look at you and you look nothing like it."

She couldn't help but feel offended at his comments. In a desperate moment of vanity, she wished she had a mirror on her.

"You know, you make these little tiny snoring sounds when you sleep?"

"I was tired!" she crossed her arms around herself in defence.

"And you were drooling!"

Elena wiped the sides of her mouth furiously with the sleeves of her jacket and thought fast of an excuse. "It was comfortable and I had a really good sleep!"

Her excuses were like fuel to his insults; there was no stopping Reno now.

"Oh and you had hair stuck all over your face. Man, you were not a pretty sight," he said casually.

"Don't diss the hair!" she cautioned, combing her hair with her fingers. She was sure that it is stuck out at odd angles due to her sleeping position.

"Aw, Elena," he said in a sorry attempt to quell her anger, "Don't be so offended. Some girls happen to look good at all times. You are just not one of them."

She stomped on his foot as hard as she could with hers and walked off in a huff, ignoring his yelp of pain.

"OW!"

* * *

Everyone on in the Shinra's executive common room only had one thought in their mind about the mission; _suicide_. The thought became more apparent in their faces as Reeve briefed them on the rescue mission.

The only person that did not seem affected by the sombre atmosphere was Rude, who will be piloting the chopper to the Northern Crater.

His co-pilot was pale and fidgeting nervously when Reeve updated them on the storm forecast. The two medics that will be accompanying the rescue mission had their heads huddled together, discussing amongst themselves the risks involved. Rude was quite happy to take on the mission alone, but Reeve thought that a full team would make it easier.

The rescue crew will be flying Shinra's best SAR (search and rescue chopper) for the mission. Reeve explained that their first objective is to get to Junon safely for a refill before taking off immediately to the Northern Crater. Once in the Northern Crater, they would attempt to locate the missing chopper using the tracking system. All Shinra vehicles have a tracking chip implanted in them.

Reeve predicted that Reno and Elena would probably leave their chopper in search for shelter as the blizzard worsened. Therefore the team was advised to utilise the built in thermo-sensor on the SAR chopper.

"The storm will be the worst obstacle in this mission, but I assure you that you are in capable hands," he gestured to Rude who remained stoic.

"You will take off in an hour," Reeve concluded.

As Rude was leaving the conference room, Reeve caught up with him and they walked down the hallway together. Reeve two short strides match one of Rude's.

"If Reno and Elena managed to survive the night", Reeve added dryly, "or each other, it should be easy to locate them once you are in the Northern Crater."

Rude nodded in reply.

_Showtime._

* * *

"You know what I just realised?" Elena asked rhetorically. She paused and took a sip of water for dramatic effect.

"That you are a psychotic bitch?" snapped Reno, nursing his foot that was still stinging from Elena's boot.

Waving away his comment (and his exaggerated moans of pain as he rubbed his foot) with her hands, she answered her own question, "That I don't care about what you think about how I look when I am asleep."

"Really? Is that why you broke my goddamn foot when I said you are ugly?" Reno retorted sarcastically.

"Don't be silly. It's not broken" Elena chastised, "And, to answer your question, yes, I don't care what you think because, it's not like I will be sleeping next to you anytime soon."

The flirt in him took over and he flashed her a charming grin, "That can be fixed, you know."

"Also," she continued her speech, unaffected by his attempts to hit on her, "Since I am not going out with you, I don't have to make an effort to look hot for you."

"That, too, can be fixed," he quipped.

Elena glared daggers at him.

Not understanding (or ignoring, she can't tell) the hint, he continued pestering her, "So, does that glare represents a 'no'? Or is that your best bedroom eyes? Because if it is, it isn't very good."

She hurled her water bottle at him.


	5. Where we're going we don't need roads

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Notes: Just a quick note though; I realised when I looked up the FF7 map that Junon is completely out of the way to the Northern Crater. So forgive me for that mistake!

There should be a couple more chapters to go. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

"Sir, the chopper is ready for take-off!" the chief engineer yelled over the howling wind.

Reeve gave the engineer a thumbs' up from his position at the entrance of the helipad, sheltered from the torrential downpour. Beside him, Rude adjusted his shades and windbreaker one last time before take-off. The medic crew were preparing their kits and the co-pilot arrived five minutes past the arranged time.

"Sorry I am late, sir," he apologised. Rude gave him a steely look; he did not tolerate lateness on important missions.

The tall co-pilot felt as though he had shrunk several sizes. Mr. Rude is scary; silent but very scary especially with the shades.

Trying to salvage the situation, he stammered out an explanation, "I was on the phone with my son, sir. It's his birthday today. I just wanted to wish him before we leave."

"You have a son?" Reeve enquired. _Shows how much you know about your employees_, he scolded himself.

"Yes, sir," the co-pilot answered proudly.

Reeve noticed that Rude's facial muscles were tense, as though contemplating something.

A moment passed as lightning flashed across the helipad and was followed by booming thunder.

"Send them home," Rude ordered. His rescue looked up at him in surprise; most of them had never heard him say a word.

He did not elaborate further on his command, but Reeve understood fully; Rude knew it was a long, dangerous rescue, especially in the current condition. Reno and Elena were his responsibility and no one else should have to die to save them both.

Reeve passed his command onto the crew members and they all seemed visibly relieved.

The co-pilot saluted Rude for his decision. "Good luck, sir!"

Rude nodded back in acknowledgement. Pulling the hood of the windbreaker over his head, he started to make his way to the helicopter.

"The Turks can take care of themselves," Reno had once said to him. Reeve now understands the meaning of that statement.

* * *

"What's the plan today?" Elena asked a sulking Reno.

Nursing a bruise on his forehead from Elena's earlier outburst with her water bottle, he answered her grumpily, "I suppose Rude will be looking for us."

"So, basically all that we are doing today to stay alive?"

"Yup, pretty much. In other words, we'll have to try _not _to kill each other," Reno said wryly.

He pressed a snowball on his head that he had been using as a replacement for an icepack and winced. Elena finally took pity on him and knelt down in front of him, taking his face with her hands to study the extent of the bruising.

"Wow. That's a pretty decent sized-lump," she said in astonishment.

"It would probably help if you didn't sound so proud of the lump," his words were slightly muffled due to her hands around his cheeks.

Releasing his face and standing up, she gave him a pat on the head and apologised.

"For some reason, you seem to take pleasure out of hurting me," he scowled, "I don't see you do it to Rude or Tseng."

"That's because you're a perverted jerk," she answered simply, as if it was the most obvious answer.

Placing a palm on his chest in mock hurt, he sighed dramatically. "Why do you hate me so?"

Elena gave him a puzzled look. "I don't hate you. I mean, yes, you annoy me and sometimes I wish you were dead but I don't hate you."

"So, you don't hate me?"

"No," she said in a definitive tone.

"Alright then," he said happily, "So…"

She spotted his pick-up line a mile away; his leer wasn't helping his cause either, "I still won't sleep with you."

"Damn."

* * *

"Land…degrees…storm," the instructions from the control tower was incomprehensible due to the horrible cackle in his headset. The storm was causing electrical interferences with all the equipment on the helicopter. Rude cursed under his breath.

The flight to Junon had been at best, turbulent. There were a few times en-route that he nearly lost control of the chopper; the gale blowing him off course and tipping the chopper to the side. Somehow through pure luck (he was sure as hell it has nothing to do with skill because he wasn't the expert pilot on the team), Rude had managed to make his way to Junon.

Rude found that hovering while trying to figure out where to land in a storm was a lot harder than what he'd imagined. The landing pad was not visible due to the fog and rain. A strong gust hit the left side of the chopper and he felt himself tilting dangerously to the right.

_Damn it!_

He'd made it this far without killing himself; he was not going to let faulty, cheap communication equipment changed that. So, he did what a Turk does best in situation like these; winging it.

Estimating where the landing pad will be, he lowered the chopper. The cackle in the headset was getting louder and louder; the guys in the control tower were _not _happy. He pulled off the headset and threw it on the seat next to him. He did not need another distraction.

Hands tightened around the cyclic stick in front of him; Rude prepared his descent.

* * *

Elena noticed that Reno had been sneaking strange looks at her.

Annoyed, she turned to him and scowled, "What?"

"Do you like girls?"

She sighed, "No."

Elena had the suspicion that he was going to ask that question at some stage. She was surprised at how long it took before he raised that issue with her. Obviously, being in close quarters for an extended period of time seemed to be the catalyst.

"So why won't you hook up with me?" he asked her with a cheeky grin.

She groaned. Reno making all these lurid comments only meant one thing; he was bored.

"Are you bored? Is that why you are trying to annoy me?"

He shrugged. "You know what would be a great cure for boredom?"

"What?" Elena instantly regretted the word as it left her mouth.

"Makin' out."

She resisted the temptation to knock him unconscious so she can pass her time in peace until Rude arrived to save the day. Over the years, she has learnt that the best method to deal with Reno is to ignore him for as long as possible. Eventually (if she is lucky), he will settle down.

Their conversation lapsed into a silence. Reno fidgeted in his seat on the ground; humming a meaningless tune.

She could feel his eyes on her even though her back was facing him.

"What?" she growled.

"It will be good, you know," he said in a sing-song voice.

Turning to face him, she yelled angrily, "That's it! I've had enough!"

Reno was taken aback by the tone of her voice. He opened his mouth to make a reply but she was already heading in his direction with a dark look on her face.

_She's going to kill me for real this time!_

Instinctively, he brought up his arms in a defensive position; his mind churning with possible attacks that she could throw at him.

_Where it will be? The face? The stomach? The groin?_

He grimaced at the last thought.

She stopped short in front of him; an unreadable expression on her face as she eyed him from head to toe. Reno moved to duck when he saw her palms heading in the direction of his face. His reaction was a hair slower than hers and she caught his face.

Reno closed his eyes in anticipation of the blow that she was about to deliver. But it never came. When he finally opened an eye, he could see that Elena was contemplating something. He saw her shrug slightly and lean forward.

Everything that came after that was sort of a blur.

He felt her lips on his and his eyes shot open in surprise.

_Woah, definitely didn't see that coming._

It was over as fast as it had started. Elena pulled away before he could process the kiss in his head. He had a feeling that his lips were still slightly apart and he now resembled a guppy. Elena's smirk confirmed this thought.

"Hm", she said triumphantly, "If I knew this would make you shut up, I would've tried it two hours ago."

Reno tried not to feel offended when she wiped her mouth on her sleeve and glared at her.

"What's that, Reno? Do you have something to say?" Elena mocked him when she saw his expression.

He tried to form a witty comeback in his befuddled brain. But all his brain could come up with is to order is mouth to open and close like a _fuckin_' goldfish.

"No? Nothing? Thought so."

_Oh, she'll see. _

Reno of the Turks doesn't go down without a fight.

* * *

Flying over the ocean separating the Northern Continent from Midgar, Rude looked down into the darkness. He noted that the storm eased in this part of the world. The movement of the chopper wasn't as erratic as it'd been on the way to Junon.

The rough landing in Junon gave the mechanics on the maintenance deck in Junon a nasty shock. Rude had unknowingly landed a ten tonne helicopter right in the middle of a populated area. Naturally, as he'd expected, the guys from the control tower gave him an unpleasant greeting.

But when they noticed his signature bald head, the ever present shades, and the dark suit underneath the windbreaker, they became more accommodating. Turks had that effect on civilians; they intimidate them.

Rude did not stay long in Junon. The moment the maintenance checks were completed and the chopper refuelled, he took off without a word.

He knew he was getting close to his destination when he saw the southern face of the crater. Activating the tracking device to locate Reno and Elena's chopper, a weak signal came on almost immediately.

_Not far away now._

* * *

"I feel violated," Reno announced sullenly.

Elena stared at him incredulously, "You have got to be kidding me!"

"You…," he stopped to choose his words for maximum impact, "…sexually harassed me."

She sputtered in indignation, "I did not!"

"You kissed me without my consent."

Pointing an accusing finger in his face, she blamed him, "You started it! You and your comments about making out! I was just trying to get you to shut up."

"What? You couldn't ask me nicely?"

"I could but would you shut up?"

"That's besides the point. You took advantage of my vulnerability!"

"What vulnerability?!" She practically yelled out the last two words with contempt.

Elena could feel blood rushing to her ears as it always did when she gets angry. Reno was clearly enjoying himself; he spoke every word with an irritating smirk on his face.

"I want some payback for what you did," Reno said to her, arms crossed around his chest.

"I didn't do anything. Therefore you don't get payback," she stated defensively.

He ignored her and continued his tirade, "An eye for an eye, 'Laney."

"Don't call me 'Laney," she replied instinctively and then his words sunk in milliseconds after that. By that time, he had already leaned in so close she could see the greenish specks in his blue eyes.

And then he stopped millimetres away from her face and frowned.

"Did you hear that?" He turned his head to the entrance.

Elena let out a breath that she didn't know that she was holding.

She swallowed nervously, "What?"

Her Turk senses kicked in like a second nature and her ears picked up the sound of a helicopter's rotor over the howling winds. By the time she processed that, Reno was already halfway out the exit of the cave. She zipped up her jacket and hurried after him.

Through squinted eyes, she looked up into the sky and saw a black speck that was unmistakably shaped like a helicopter.

"It's a chopper!" Reno said, his voice filled with glee.

The tension the cave evaporated and the two Turks were grinning stupidly at each other. She was so glad to see help arrive that when Reno put an arm around her shoulder, she did not physically harm him like she always did.

Instead, she placed her arm on his waist and they both waved down the chopper; the blizzard and sub zero temperatures forgotten.

_Midgar, the Turks are back._


	6. We will always have Paris

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's notes: Here we are at last, the final chapter of Lost.

Thanks for all the reviews!

* * *

When Rude approached Reno and Elena's chopper, icicles were covering the rotor and the windows were frozen over. Flying as low as environments allow, he switched on the thermal sensor; the reading indicates that there were no living bodies in the chopper. He didn't know whether to feel glad or horrified.

But Rude is Rude and he doesn't feel emotions.

On closer look, he noticed that the cockpit doors were opened, which means they must have abandoned the chopper in search of shelter.

_If I was Reno…where would I go?_

He had a brief flashback regarding Reno lecturing him on something about sun navigation. Hovering precariously in the blizzard, Rude leaned over his seat in search of the sun.

There was none; not even a ray of sunlight in the gloomy snowlands.

Rude shrugged, he had expected that. He closed his eyes in concentration and decided to head in the south-west direction of the abandoned chopper.

His Turk instinct must be working well; either that or it's dumb luck, but five minutes later, the thermo sensor located two very red, very alive blobs.

And there they are, waving him down in the middle of a blizzard like it was any ordinary day with identical grins plastered on their faces. Rude recognised that grin; it was the what-took-you-so-long grin. He resisted temptation to run them over with the chopper.

* * *

"Five gil says it's a rough landing," Reno whispered from the corner of his mouth.

Elena watched as the chopper tipped dangerously to the right as it was hit by a particularly strong gust.

"Nice try, Reno," she grinned.

As rough as it was, it was the best landing that Rude could probably come up with given the circumstances. The two Turks clambered up the cockpit as soon as it touched the ground; not wanting to spend anymore time out in the cold.

"Hey Rude," Reno and Elena greeted Rude amicably (because they are Turks and Turks don't dole out hugs and air-kisses to each other).

Rude grunted in reply and lifted the chopper to take them back to Midgar; he didn't want to be in the Norther Crater longer than necessary.

"You must be tired, Rude. I will take over the wheel," Reno offered.

The answer was a simultaneous, "No."

* * *

"Hey! Hey!" Reno protested as the medic crew carted him off to the treatment centre, "She's the one that has a hole in the arm!"

Much to Reno's displeasure, when they got of the chopper, the medics immediately swarmed them, poking and prodding and taking body temperatures . He had been looking forward to a nice session in the bar with Rude to make up for the day before.

"Sir, you have to calm down," the short, dark haired paramedic said to him coolly, "We found a large bruise on your head. You might have a concussion."

Elena, who was in the bed beside his, snickered.

"That bruise is there because that bitch hurled a water bottle into my face," Reno said exasperatedly, "Now let me go. I need to get to the bar."

"Sir, please don't give me a reason to use the restraining straps on you."

"Give her a reason, give her a reason," he could hear Elena chanting.

_Bitch. _

"Fine," he said dejectedly and rested his head against the cool pillow, "But if I am not out of here in time for a drink, I am not going to be happy."

At the sight of Reno's plight, Elena burst into giggles. He turned to her with a wicked smile on his face, "Don't think I have forgotten about our little _discussion_."

Her giggles turned into hiccups quite abruptly.

* * *

From the corner of his eye, Reeve could see Rude pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance at Reno and Elena's antics.

"Long flight?"

The only reply he received was a grim look from Rude.

Reeve gave him a sympathetic pat on his back, "Well, you wanted to save them…"

Rude grunted in reply. He headed off for a well-deserve drink or two (or ten).

_Just another day in the office_.

* * *

Reno hovered over Elena's bed out of boredom, dressed only in his slacks and white shirt with the top two buttons undone.

His checkup had been relatively brief since his injuries (both caused by Elena) were minor and the doctors got annoyed with his incessant whining. On the way out of the treatment centre, Mr. Boss-man Reeve caught up with him and ordered him to bed rest. Reno would have just ignored orders, but Reeve threatened to dock his pay.

So, here he was; bored out his mind. He poked Elena's toe with his inactivated mag rod and received no reaction.

_Of course not_, he sighed to himself. Elena was heavily sedated after they treated her arm. The doctor had also informed Reno in a stern voice that she had a mild fever and needed _all_ the rest that she can get. In other words; don't be an asshole and annoy her.

Slumping into the seat next to her bed, he lifted his legs and placed them on her bed to make himself more comfortable. He picked up the remote control and pressed a button to turn on the television.

Nothing came on.

He frowned at the control and pressed the same button a few times. When it didn't work, he smacked it against the bedside table.

Click.

The screen is still black.

Frustrated, he started to mash all the buttons in random order, hoping that one will be the 'On' switch.

"Reno, stop it."

If he wasn't trained, Reno would have jumped at the sudden interruption.

"Good morning sunshine," was what he said instead as cheerily as possible just to annoy her, "Did the noise wake you up?"

Elena's eyes were still closed and she licked her dry lips a few times before speaking in a dry, hoarse voice, "No, my bed's gone all funny."

_Oh_.

He held up the remote and realised that in his button-mashing frenzy, he must've pressed the bed control buttons accidentally. Beside him, Elena tried to clear her throat.

"My mouth tastes funny," she grimaced and blinked a few times to adjust to the lights in the room.

"Probably just the pills."

Chewing an imaginary morsel in her mouth, "It tastes like purple."

Elena turned to look at him with a glint in her eye, "Your hair is all funny."

_She obviously got the happy pills._

Quickly withdrawing his foot from her bed, he stood up and stretched.

"Whatever you say," he hates entertaining a drugged Elena, "I am going to go back to my corner now."

She reached up and grabbed his wrist, "Wait."

"Sleep it off, Elena."

She was still holding on and looking at him with that big, happy grin on her face. Her pupils were the size of saucers, "We should talk."

"Nope. We should sleep." Reno felt strange being the only sensible and responsible person in the room.

"Remember the _discussion_ that you said we were supposed to have?"

"I was kidding," he shrugged, "I did it just to shut you up."

She giggled at his statement, "That's what I said to you!"

_Hm_.

He stopped in his tracks to weigh the pros and cons of his current situation. Pros - blackmail material for future use; Cons - Elena will kill him or castrate him, whichever hurts more.

_Very tempting indeed. _

"An eye for an eye right?" he winked at her.

Leaning forward so that they were face to face, he covered her lips with his. The kiss lingered a little longer than what he'd intended and when he pulled away, he noticed that Elena was staring at him with a peculiar look on her face.

"So...good night then," Reno said dismissively and made his way out of the door.

There was no reply and he assumed that she probably fell asleep.

* * *

"I have a confession to make," Elena said the next morning, sipping on coffee that Reno snuck into her room. She woke up in the morning feeling sluggish from all the painkillers in her system so the coffee was a much-welcomed remedy to her current condition.

Reno slurped on his coffee noisily before replying her with an, "Oh?" accompanied by a raised eyebrow.

She flashed him a smile and said, "I thought the discussion we had last night wasn't as bad as I thought it will be."

"It wasn't?"

"No. It was not bad at all."

"Ah," he said knowingly, "It's probably just the drugs."

"Well, let's see shall we?" she said and pulled him towards her by grabbing his collar.

"Wasn't the pills," she confirmed with a grin.

He replied her grin with an equally large one.

_So much for the blackmail material._

* * *

End notes: It's done!

Although it's the end of the fic, it's still not the end of Reno and Elena. I have planned a sort-of sequel that should be out within a couple weeks.

When I wrote this fic, I had it in my mind that it's not going to be about Reno falling in love with Elena and vice versa. This fic is establishing the unique relationship the two have (more like frenemies with sexual tension). The ending shows that these two finally realises that they are well-suited for one another and there might be a _slight_ possibility that there is a chance for something more in their relationship.

I hope you enjoyed the story and there will be more to come!


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